Voting machine



Jan, 13, 1925.

J. E. MCKINLEY VOTING MACHINE Filed. May 27, 1922 .N www@ 1,522,688 J.E. MCKINLEY VOTING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In/vanto@Jam@ E. M6502 Z6] Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES E. MGKINLEY, 0F ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS.

VOTING MACHINE.

Application filed May 27, 1922A Serial No. 564,114.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. MCKINLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochelle, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting Machines, ofwhich the following is a speciiication, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to voting machines. and particularly to thatclass of voting machines wherein the voting mechanism is locked or isinoperative until the voter stands upon the yielding platform, whichplatform in its movement permits the actuation of the voting mechanism,the voting mechanism being again locked when the voter steps off theplatform.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a very simple,positive and easily operated mechanism of this character which is soarranged as to prevent more than one vote being cast for one candidateand which also prevents two votes being cast at the same time fordifferent candidates, and

which is so constructed as to prevent a vote being cast for a candidateby mistake, foil instance, and a successful attempt being made torectify this mistake by casting another vote for another candidate forthe same position.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character whereinthe vote may be registered by counting mechanism or by the passage of atape.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is a vertical sectional view through a voting booth showing the votingmechanism partly in section;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, the section being taken justbelow the roller 22;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the booth forward of thepartition 12;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on the same plane as Figure 1,showing the normal position of the plunger 14;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the same plane as Figure 1,showing one of the pawls 24 shifting outward under the action of theplunger;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the cam 2O and votecounting mechanism applied thereto.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a platform which rests uponsprings 11 and upon which the voter stands when he desires to vote. Thevoting machinery is contained within a cabinet or casing having, asillustrated, double walls 12 and 18 perforated at intervals for thepassage of plunger rods 14 having heads whereby they may be operated.Each plunger rod carries a collar 15 bearing against a compressionspring 16, which in turn bears against the wall 13, this being disposedbetween the walls 12 and 13. Therefore, when the plunger rod is shiftedinward it is against the spring 16. This plunger rod at its extremity isformed with an upwardly extending nose 17 which in top plan view istapered so that the nose is adapted to pass between two balls of aseries of balls 18 carried between trough-shaped strips 19 mounted inany suitable manner in the casing of thc machine. The length or space inwhich these balls are contained is greater than the total diameters ofthe balls by a distance equal to the diameter of one ball, whichdistance is equal to the transverse thickness of the body 14a of theplunger so that when a plunger is forced inward between two balls orbetween a ball and the end wall of the casing in which the balls aredisposed, the balls will jam together so that thereafter it isimpossible to shove another plunger between the balls.

Disposed in the path of movement of the plunger 14 is an intermittentlyrotatable double cam-shaped member, designated 20, and when the plungeris forced inward by the voter the end of the plunger strikes one of theextremities of this elliptical or double cam-shaped member and turns itfrom the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 to the positionshown in full lines. This cam-shaped member 2O may be operativelyconnected to a revolution counter or may carries va triangular detent orpawl V24/ piv oted at 25. When the plunger v14v islforced inward itsnose strikes the inclined face o f this triangularpawl and turns it topermit the passage of thenose ofthe plunger. As

soon. as the nose'v of the plunger has passed,

i however, the pawlvwill fall to the position shown in fulllinesinFigure 1 and,y loclr the plunger against retraction'un'der the action ofthe sp1 ing 16. Normally the springs 11 hold the platform 10 up andalsohold the pawl 24' above the level of the plunger, but as soon as thevoter steps upon the platformthe platform descends and brings thepawlinto the position referred to, where it is struck by the nose of theplunger.

In the operation of .this devicethe voter vsteps uponthe platform 1()Vand then after selectingtheVV candidate heY desires tovote forv pushesthe plunger inward. The plunger enters between the balls18 or betweenanend ball and the end wall of the casing inwhich the balls are disposedand pushes the balls laterally and locks them against further movementso that no other plunger on the Vsame row can be actuated at this time,thus preventingV voting for a plurality of candidates for the sameoffice. rl`he plunger 1n lits'passage strikes the pawl 25, lifts thispawl, and the nose of the plungerpasses bej yond the pawl and engagesthe upper end of the cam-shaped member 20Vwhose major axis extendsupward and outward. Y rEhe plunger is forced fully inward, which causesthecam-shaped membervtobe given a quarterl turn, drawing o a certainamount of tape 21 fromthe roller 22, This carries the lower end of thecam-shaped member inward intoposition above a tappet 26 carried by theplatform. The retraction of the plunger is prevented by the pawl orlatch 24 so that the voter cannot cast a second vote for the samecandidate. As soon as the vote is cast, how- Y ever, he steps oiftheplatform,.whereupon the platform rises `and the tappet 2C strilres theforward extremivv of the cam v2O and turns this cam again throughaquarter revolution so that the cam oceupies the same position it didbefore andas shown in dotted lines in Figure'l. This action dra-ws offanother length of tape from lthe. reel 22 and these two lengths of tapeare so marked as to indicate that a vote has been cast. It will be obvious,ho wever, that the camfshaped member 2O might be connected and act tooperate an ordinary counting device or revolution counter, as indicatedin Figure 6.

Gfcourse, it will be understood that the plungers which are disposed inline with each other are plungers designe-d to indicate the number ofcandidates `for thesame oiiice. rlhus in a voting machine the top rowmay be used for plungers controlling the votes forpresidential,gvcandidates, the next for senators, governprs, etc., orState officials, the next row for county officials, and so on. r1hevoter remains upon the platform until he has actuated the plungers ofthe several rows and fully cast his vote. He then steps off theplatfornrand ithe ,platform` rises l, immediately upon his ,doing` sofand resets lthe parts to theirgnormal positionnand all Vis ready for thenext voter.

Gf course, itLwill be understood that I have illustrated in the drawingsmerely Va series ofthese plungers for a number of candidates for oneoiiice and that in anV actual voting machine there will be from forty tosixty or more plungers,there being a row of plungers for every oiiice tobe voted for. When a voterstepsupon the platformmand pushes the plungersin `to indicate his vote,

he has half registered'that vote and when he Y steps ed `and theplatform rises, the other halfvofhis vote is recorded in full, inasmuchas it is common to provide `mea-ns for preventing a voter afterk leavinga booth from :re-entering the booth and again actuats ing the votingmechanism, suchf mechanism being shown, for instance, in Patents#1,093,935, granted'April 21, 1914, and #1,342,253, granted June 1,Y192,0, I have not believed it necessary to illustrate such mechanism,it being understood,of course, that means is provided of this common andwell known character for registering the total vote cast, thatris thenumber of voters who pass into each booth, permitting the entrance ofthe voter 'and his exit from the booth but preventing his re-entry'Vafter an exit and thus preventing repeating thevote.

tween which balls the several plungers are adapted to pass, eachVplunger havingV width equal to the diameter of one vof the balls, arunway f-orfthe balls having a total length greater than the totaldiameters of the several balls by a distance equaling the width of theplunger, means disposed in the path of the'plunger'for recording theprojection" of the plunger, means urging each plunger outward to aposition. beyond the balls, a spring supported platform disposed belowthe plungers and upon which the voter stands, and means connected tosaid platform and depressed into the path of movement of the plunger toprevent the retraction of the plunger when the platform is depressed butreleased when the platform is released to permit the projection of theplunger to its normal position.

2. In a voting machine, a series of plungers, one for each candidate forthe same office, a series of balls disposed in a runway normally behindthe plungers, between which balls the several plungers are adapted topass, each plunger having a width equal to the diameter of one of theballs, a runway for the balls having a total length greater than thetotal diameters of the several balls by a distance equaling the width ofthe plunger, means disposed in the path of the plunger for recording theprojection of the plunger, means urging each plunger outward to aposition beyond the balls, a spring supported platform disposed belowthe plungers and upon which the voter stands, and means connected tosaid platform and depressed into the path of movement of the plunger toprevent the retraction of the plunger when the platform is depressed butreleased when the platform is released to permit the proj ection of theplunger to its normal position, said means comprising a movable memberoperatively connected to the platform and depressed therewith and havingmovement independently of the platform to permit the projection of theplunger.

3. ln a voting machine, a series of plungers, one for each candidate forthe same ofiice, a series of balls disposed in a runway normally behindthe plungers, between which balls the several plungers are adapted topass, each plunger having a width equal to the diameter of one of theballs, a runway for the balls having a total length greater than thetotal diameters of the several balls by a distance equaling the width ofthe plunger, means disposed in the path of the plunger for recording theprojection of the plunger, means urging each plunger outward to aposition beyond the balls, a spring supported platform disposed belowthe plungers and upon which the voter stands, and means connected tosaid platform and depressed into the path of movement of the plunger toprevent the retraction of the plunger when the platform is depressed butreleased when the platform is released to permit the projection of theplunger to its normal. position, said means comprising a movable memberoperatively connected to the platform and depressed therewith and havingmovement independently of the platform to permit.- the projection of theplunger, said means comprising a pawl operatively connected to theplatform to be depressed therewith but having independent movement topermit the passage of the plunger, the plunger having anose engagingwith said member upon an outward movement of the plunger.

4. In a voting machine, a plunger, a spring urging the plunger outward,a vote recording member disposed in the path of the plunger and moved inone direction a certain distance upon the projection of the plunger, aspring supported platform disposed below the plunger, and meansconnected to the platform for shifting the vote registering member afurther distance in the same direction upon the release of the platformfrom the weight of the voter.

5. In a voting machine, a plunger, a spring urging the plunger outward,a vote record ing member disposed in the path of the plunger and movedin one direction a certain distance upon the projection of the plunger,a spring supported platform disposed below the plunger, means connectedto the platform for shifting the vote registering member a furtherdistance in the same direction upon the release of the platform from theweight of the voter, and means normally preventing a retraction of theplunger while the platform is depressed but being released andpermitting the retraction of the plunger when the platform is relievedof the weight of the voter.

6. In a voting machine, a spring supported platform, a plunger disposedabove the platform, a spring urging the plungerl outward, the inner endof the plunger being provided with a nose, a vote registering mechanismincluding a rotatable member disposed in the path of movement of theplunger and shifted upon a projection of the plunger through a certainportion of its path of movement, means connected to the platform anddepressed when the platform is depressed into the path of movement ofthe nose, said means having movement independent of the platform topermit the projection of the plunger and then locking the plunger uponretract-ion, and means operatively connected to the platform forcompletely shifting the vote registering member upon the release of theplatform.

7 In a voting machine, a spring supported platform, a plurality ofplungers disposed above the platform, springs urging said plungersoutward, means preventing the actuation of any plunger while anotherplunger is forced inward against the action of said spring, a voteregistering mechanism including a. member disposed in front of theplunger and adapted to be engaged thereby when it is forced inward,means connected to lil() the platform and adapted to prevent the forshifting the said votevregistering memretraction of the plunger when theplatform ber a, further distance in the same direction is lowered underthe Weight of a voter but upon the release'ofthe platform. Y permittingthe projection of the plunger, ln testimony whereof l hereunto aixV myYsaicl means being-released by a release of the signature. f

platform from the weight of the Voter, and means actuated by arelease ofthe platform JAMES E. MOKINLEY.

